California Great America (CGA) Discussion Thread

[Angry_Gumball]

While I'm not looking forward to an excessively crowded park, this is actually really good for them as things seem to be picking up. It's ironic though...you remove a ride, then the park is somehow busier than normal. I guess I'll see how things are in a couple weeks, hopefully not as packed as school trips will be over with.

[Tmcdllr]

You can see Skyhawk through Tidal Wave's loop....cool!

[c0sterfreek]

I miss skyhawk...

[Tmcdllr]

^Yeah it was a very interesting ride.

[greatamerica1990sfan]

Home Run Derby??? WTF??? PLEASE tell me that is not new for next year!!! & A joke!!! They need that right side of the theater operating again. I really enjoyed that Temple movie. Maybe they should get rid of Spongebob & put back Days Of Thunder & the Temple. Then the Action Theater would be cool again.

[CGA_88]

^You need to calm down. That is simply a new game for this season. When the park is ready to announce a new addition for next season (provided there is one), they will do so.

[Flagg O'Dim]

Home Run Derby??? WTF??? PLEASE tell me that is not new for next year!!! & A joke!!! They need that right side of the theater operating again. I really enjoyed that Temple movie. Maybe they should get rid of Spongebob & put back Days Of Thunder & the Temple. Then the Action Theater would be cool again.

 

The scary thing about Home Run Derby is the fact that it is being built near Invertigo's lot . In all seriousness, I'm sure that it is just some small new thing for this year, not next year.

 

Interestingly, CGA has been adding some small, insignificant new things around the park this season. First they built the full body dryer for the Rapids a few weeks ago, now we get a new game. At this rate, maybe we'll get a new bathroom!

[John Peck]

The new Dryer and new game is an attempt to bring in more revenue, which can be good and bad. Small infrastructure improvements are always a good thing.

[Angry_Gumball]

Looking at the pictures, is HomeRun Derby located between Grizzly and Demon, just before the antique cars station (Where the High Striker games are/were)?

 

And agreed, small things to increase revenue, plus the increase in attendance we seem to be seeing this year could be a huge plus for the park. Otherwise, we're all in a 'wait and see' mode right now as there's been a lack of news for quite a while now, including 49ers invasion news. I'm curious, what exactly is this HomeRun Derby game/how's this work? Any other parks have this?

[Flagg O'Dim]

Looking at the pictures, is HomeRun Derby located between Grizzly and Demon, just before the antique cars station (Where the High Striker games are/were)?

 

And agreed, small things to increase revenue, plus the increase in attendance we seem to be seeing this year could be a huge plus for the park. Otherwise, we're all in a 'wait and see' mode right now as there's been a lack of news for quite a while now, including 49ers invasion news. I'm curious, what exactly is this HomeRun Derby game/how's this work? Any other parks have this?

 

Yep, it's located right next to the High Striker, filled in some of the emptiness of that area.

[jab88]

I went to the park yesterday, and I should have stayed home.

 

The parking lot was a sea of school buses, and there was a never-ending stream of the worst type of GP marching into the park -- middle schoolers.

 

Examples of lines: Vortex's overflow was half full, Flight Deck was out to the pizza place, Demon was out the entrance, Rue le Dodge had a Carnevil-type line.

 

Lots of rides closed all day - Firefall (obviously), Tiki Twirl, and Drop Tower. Even Flight Deck didn't open until the afternoon.

 

Highlight of the day: After getting off of Spongebob, I saw that the exit doors to the other side of the theater were open. Taking a quick glance while walking by, I noticed that the screen and chairs are still intact, and it doesn't appear to be used for storage. Does anybody know when this side was last operating? It would be cool if they had a special showing in there for Haunt.

 

On to the pictures, which includes some surprise construction at the park (!). (I apologize in advance about the crappy quality of the pictures, I brought my ancient two-megapixel camera).

 

I'll leave you with some depressing comparison pictures.

 

Before (from RCDB.com):

15.jpg[/attachment]

 

Regarding AFX and the other theater, the one no longer used, true the screen and chairs are intact, but some of the chairs have been taken apart slightly, I guess to use the parts for the chairs in the working side of the theater. It is used for some storage as well (mostly in the front area), while when I was in it last, bringing some items to put in it from another area. I think the last time it showed anything was during the Paramount era, when they had some Halloween themed shows in both, I think the side not used now showed some show with Elvira in it (from what I recall anyway, though I could be wrong)

 

And as far as Firefall, they should be putting the panels back onto the back of the gondola soon, it just took longer than expected to get some parts for it's rehab.

[Andrewoplis]

That photo of The past of the park is pretty depressing to me. Three, signature attractions gone, out of the park! I do hope that you could see something new in the spot. Ill be happy as long as its a new ride, (Expect a Windseeker) middle or thrilling.

[ABW]

Maybe Demon's next. That way there wouldn't be single coaster in that particular picture.

[StarTrekGeek]

^I think by the time Demon goes, there will be NOTHING in that picture but a parking lot, unfortunately (again, I'm trying to be optimistic, but at the same time I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach).

[ABW]

^True. At this point, if nothing is announced in a couple months, we might as well start letting other Cedar Fair parks call dibs on our good rides. But hey, at least we don't have too much longer to find out.

[Angry_Gumball]

So, I've got some unfortunate news that *could* affect parks nation-wide, stemming from an indecent at CGA. I came across this unfortunate news article regarding someone who broke their wrist when riding the Bumper Cars a while back, only to have law suits erupt.

 

Bumper car patrons at Great America theme park and other amusement parks may be able to sue if they get hurt in that laundry cycle of getting bounced and jostled on the popular rides.

 

In a ruling Friday, a divided San Jose-based state appeals court found that a local doctor could sue the owners of Great America for a broken wrist suffered while riding a bumper car with her son in 2005. The decision overturned a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge's decision to toss the lawsuit because of the conclusion the park did not have a legal duty to guarantee against such an injury.

 

The 6th District Court of Appeal disagreed, saying a jury should decide if Cedar Fair Entertainment, Great America's owner, was negligent in failing to take steps to prevent head-on collisions on the bumper car ride. The lawsuit alleges Cedar Fair took precautions at other amusement parks it owns, but not at Great America's "Rue Le Dodge" bumper car ride.

 

"(Cedar Fair) holds the park open to the public with the promise of safe fun and excitement," Justice Conrad Rushing wrote for the court. "Without question, it is best situated to minimize any risks associated with its rides.

 

"Although bumping is part of the experience of a bumper car ride," the court continued, "head-on bumping is not. In fact, it is a prohibited activity."

 

The lawsuit was filed by Smriti Nalwa, identified in court papers as a San Jose doctor who took her young son and daughter to Great

 

America in July 2005. According to the ruling, she was one of 55 people injured on the bumper car ride out of several hundred-thousand patrons during the 2004 and 2005 park seasons, although the only person to suffer a fracture.

 

Patrick Hurley, Cedar Fair's lawyer, could not immediately be reached for comment.

 

In 2006, a year after the accident, Cedar Fair changed Great America's bumper car ride to add an island in the middle to keep drivers headed in the same direction, as was done at other parks around the country.

 

Justice Wendy Duffy wrote a long dissent, maintaining the ruling stretches the reach of liability for amusement park operators and that park patrons assume a certain risk when they jump in a bumper car.

 

"The name of the game is to bump and to attempt to avoid (often unsuccessfully) being bumped," Duffy wrote. "(The record) discloses no evidence that Cedar Fair increased the risk inherent in riding Rue Le Dodge."

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_18249348?nclick_check=1

 

Time to move to a less sue-happy country? Soon, we could sue for bumping into each other in the hallways, on the sidewalk, in the store... Shoot...may as well sue someone for farting in public, better yet, sue someone for breathing. And I wonder why I'm beginning to see myself become more cynical about life.

 

Regarding bumper cars (or soon to possibly only be simply...cars), perhaps if softer/more rebounding bumpers were put onto the cars, to give more of a bounce than a jolt, if that's possible? That would probably actually be fun. The bumper cars (Space Race?) at Santa Cruz have ginormous inner tubes that provide a nice soft impact with a slight bounce. And we could hit head on with no problems. Also, this makes me think of this particular attraction we used to have in my city, a huge bumper car arena that had an excessively slick floor, and excessively bouncy cars...if you bounce into someone, they would go sailing across the arena. But in today's world, I would be surprised if anything that exciting would even be allowed. In all honesty, I think this incident irks me even more than the removal of Invertigo as it seems that this could be an open door to start really watering down thrilling attractions.

[greatamerica1990sfan]

I plan to go on Wednesday since I have the season pass. They scan your eticket at the gate then show it to the season pass processing? I am getting there at opening. Does anyone think this week will be low crowds & short waits especially on a Wednesday? I hope all the schools have already had their school trips. & Are there any rides that are not open right at opening? & Best place to sit on Whitewater Falls?(want to get drenched) & Best place to sit on the Demon? & Best place to sit on Vortex?(Ouch!) & Best place to sit on Flight Deck? & Have all the slides in Jackaroo Landing been open? I don't really miss Invertigo. I miss Tidal Wave & Stealth the most. But at least SFDK still has their boomerang & V2. That 3 times in a row on Invertigo last August kind of showed me. That was a little much. Glad I got my last rides in. Hey I know maybe hopefully they will give us Montezoomas Revenge from Knotts! Yeah! That would do!

[Flagg O'Dim]

I plan to go on Wednesday since I have the season pass. They scan your eticket at the gate then show it to the season pass processing? I am getting there at opening. Does anyone think this week will be low crowds & short waits especially on a Wednesday? I hope all the schools have already had their school trips. & Are there any rides that are not open right at opening? & Best place to sit on Whitewater Falls?(want to get drenched) & Best place to sit on the Demon? & Best place to sit on Vortex?(Ouch!) & Best place to sit on Flight Deck? & Have all the slides in Jackaroo Landing been open? I don't really miss Invertigo. I miss Tidal Wave & Stealth the most. But at least SFDK still has their boomerang & V2. That 3 times in a row on Invertigo last August kind of showed me. That was a little much. Glad I got my last rides in. Hey I know maybe hopefully they will give us Montezoomas Revenge from Knotts! Yeah! That would do!

 

Yes, they will scan your eticket at the gate, then you will have to go to season pass processing to take your picture and get your card.

 

Not sure if school trips are over, but in the past, Wednesday's are usually pretty good, with short lines.

 

Rides that are not open at 10:00: White Water Falls (11:00), Logger's Run (11:00), Grizzly (11:00, sometimes 12:00), Boomerang Bay and the Rapids I think open at 11:00. I don't know if all the slides for Jackaroo Landing are open.

 

Best places to sit, in my experience:

 

White Water Falls: Very front gets you the most drenched, especially if you're riding in boat #3 (always seems to nosedive at the bottom of the drop). If you want some good airtime, sit in the very back.

 

Demon: Second to the back, a.k.a the "magic seats," slightly smoother than the rest.

 

Flight Deck: Any seat! But I prefer the front, just because there is nothing in front of you.

 

Vortex: Front is possibly the smoothest seat.

[coffguy]

Id hate to see a lot of bumper car rides go down in the U.S. bc of this sue happy man. Its a BUMPer car , your going to get bumped.

[deguy123]

This just proves people are such idiots in today's world. These are bumper cars, you should maybe expect something to happen. If the ride is doing what it should, then there shouldn't be a problem.

 

If a ride is prove to not be properly taken care of and you receive an injury, that is the parks fault or ride manufacture. I don't think rides should be completely shut down.....they are machines and problems/accidents will happen. You CHOOSE to ride then, its not like someone is forcing you to get on. END RANT

[DJeXeL]

This opens up the door for many MORE frivolous lawsuits. Next will be some tool suing a park because they went upside down on a coaster and got a headache along with the usual "pain and suffering."

[MrSum1_55]

Id hate to see a lot of bumper car rides go down in the U.S. bc of this sue happy man. Its a BUMPer car , your going to get bumped.

 

It's an easy problem to solve. Just place a "No Bumping" sign on one of the walls!

 

What else have people sued for at amusment parks?

SFOG-Family of decapitated kid sued because their own kid thought it would be a good idea to stand below a B&M invert. (I believe they also tried to blame B&M, saying the ride should have been "more elevated")

 

Meh, there is no point in making a list! All the incidents are the same! Someone had a stroke on a ride, someone got "food poisoning" etc, etc. Wasn't there even one complaint that teacup rides spun "too fast" (a ride of which you can control the speed of your spin)

[DJeXeL]

^All bumper cars that I've ridden have said sign in multiple locations. Not to mention most (not all but most) operators say "no head-on collisions" in their spiel prior to starting the ride. All parks don't do this I'm sure but the majority do.

[Angry_Gumball]

From what I'm gathering, this 'wrist-breaking dangerous ride of death' incident happened prior to the island installation, since it said that Cedar Fair didn't have anything in place to prevent head-ons (though technically, the ball was in Paramount's hands)? In all honesty though, in the world's largest bumper car arena (if the island was not present), how hard is it to avoid a head on? I've ridden RLD pre island as well as a couple other bumper car rides and have never did a head on collision. I saw others and it didn't look pleasant. Also, common (or uncommon...better yet, rare) sense would have told me that if I saw a car coming straight towards me, I would turn to the side to avoid the sudden impact/redirect the impact, hence the ride's name "Rue le DODGE" knowing that hitting straight on isn't going to be the most pleasant feeling. I'm ready to call shenanigans on all of this fiasco.

 

Next we can say that "Oh no, I was laughing too hard when my cousin got knocked into circles on the bumper cars, and laughed myself a headache...due to the pain and suffering, I will now sue the park operator.

[ABW]

The funny thing is, Cedar Fair didn't even own the park when these "incidents" even happened. Yeah, maybe they owned it once the island was put in (don't know if that was Paramount or Cedar Fair that did that) but that dosen't mean Cedar Fair should be sued. You don't just blame another company!